Health Net Shares Tips to Harness Holiday Happiness

While daily life serves up challenges aplenty, the December holidays can bring a heaping helping of hurdles that can decidedly sour what should be a joyous season. More importantly, because holiday stresses and strains can negatively impact mental and physical health, Health Net, Inc., (NYSE: HNT) is sharing tips to help ensure that the coming holiday season is a happy one.

"When we’re overly taxed – which certainly can be the case during the holidays – our immune function can be compromised, which makes us more vulnerable to a variety of illnesses,” explains Jonathan Scheff, M.D., chief medical officer for Health Net, Inc. He adds, "The stress that often accompanies this season also can make us feel anxious, impact our ability to sleep or concentrate, and can even lead to clinical depression.”

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Ten tips for holiday happiness

Scheff points out, "While it’s virtually impossible to eliminate every potential source of stress, these tips are designed to give you the upper hand during the holidays.”

• Don’t try to control your family members – Make an effort to accept the quirks and idiosyncrasies that have annoyed you in the past and avoid the temptation to lecture family members about their life choices; if family members lecture you, thank them and change the subject.
• Set reasonable expectations – Don’t compare yourself and your family to the fictional depictions you see on TV. Accept family members for who they are and expect that holiday gatherings won’t always unfold smoothly.
• Remember that calories still count – There’s a tendency during the holidays to throw portion control and calories to the wind. While overindulging one day isn’t a disaster, overeating throughout the entire month can not only result in adding difficult-to-lose weight, but also can negatively impact blood pressure and cholesterol levels. It’s thus important to remain very conscious about the holiday food choices that you make.
• Make room for your emotions – Don’t buy into the myth that everyone is happy throughout the holiday season. Allow yourself to experience the full range of your natural emotions.
• Avoid allergy triggers – For allergy sufferers, the holidays can bring with them plenty to sneeze about. For example, holiday decorations that have been stored away all year can build up a coating of dust that, in turn, can trigger allergies. Remember to dust before displaying, and continue dusting frequently while the decorations are up. Many people also are allergic to real Christmas trees; an artificial tree is an attractive, sneeze-free alternative.
• Pick and choose your holiday activities – You don’t have to attend every event to which you’re invited. You don’t have to adhere to every holiday tradition just because you always have. For sanity’s sake, consider letting some of them go.
• Reduce risk by washing – Between changes in the weather and people interacting more at social events, it’s not surprising that the incidence of colds and flu spike during the holiday season. The keys to avoiding these holiday maladies include washing your hands frequently, getting ample sleep, and keeping stress in check.
• Take care of your body – In the midst of a busy schedule, the last thing you may have time for is yourself. Yet, a balanced diet – along with daily physical activity – can relieve stress and keep your moods on an even keel.
• Keep your sense of humor – Studies show that laughter, and even the anticipation of laughter, can lighten moods. It may be difficult to chuckle when you’re in the midst of a holiday meltdown, but taking time to laugh can be a great stress antidote.
• Look for ways to help others – When you’re overwhelmed, responding to the needs of others can relieve anxieties and put your problems in perspective. Volunteering for a community project, or helping a friend in need, also can benefit you. If you remember to give as well as receive, the odds of achieving holiday happiness will increase significantly.

About Health Net

Health Net, Inc. is among the nation’s largest publicly traded managed health care companies. Its mission is to help people be healthy, secure and comfortable. The company’s health plans and government contracts subsidiaries provide health benefits to approximately 6.6 million individuals across the country through group, individual, Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE and Veterans Affairs programs. Health Net’s behavioral health subsidiary, MHN, provides mental health benefits to approximately 6.5 million individuals in all 50 states. The company’s subsidiaries also offer managed health care products related to prescription drugs, and offer managed health care product coordination for multi-region employers and administrative services for medical groups and self-funded benefits programs.

For more information on Health Net, Inc., please visit the company’s Web site at www.healthnet.com.